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Google’s repeated search engine algorithm changes were supposed to squash search engine optimization (SEO). Some observers even predicted the death of SEO. PR would become the new SEO, they said.
Google sought to end black hat SEO tricks that artificially improved search results. The search algorithm changes emphasized the “natural” links from high-quality websites. Updates to its search algorithm, including the Panda update in 2011 and the Penguin update in 2012, were largely successful. However, instead of going extinct SEO agencies evolved – and did so quickly.
How did SEO agencies survive what Google thought was a death blow? Their solution was to expand into PR and content marketing, says Paul Sutton, an independent digital marketing and social media consultant. Google made it abundantly clear that quality content won top billing on search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO agencies simply began migrating their tactics to content creation. Rather than stressing the technical aspects of SEO, they began creating and submitting content to websites to gain quality backlinks.
Meanwhile, PR has been expanding from its traditional media relations roots into digital marketing. The two groups are now colliding in the area of content marketing and storytelling.
SEO Threat to PR
SEO agencies are the single biggest threat to PR, Sutton warns. Public relations must wake up to the threat from SEO agencies or suffer dire consequences.
SEO experts have advantages over PR, Sutton notes. They are familiar with software and automated tools and their approach to identifying and targeting top websites and influencers is typically more methodical and rigorous. Yet their strategy poses a disadvantage. They generally assume a short-time view of winning a backlink then moving onto the next target. Bloggers and website managers may tire of that treatment and begin to demand more in return.
PR pros are better at building long-term relationships and pitching content – whether to a journalist, blogger or general website.
However, SEO agencies are starting to address that shortcoming by hiring communications specialists or contracting outside consultants. SEO agencies formed in the fast-changing digital environment are used to adapting to change.
One disadvantage of PR pros is their fear of SEO, with its coding, meta data, and automated tools. The real shortcoming of PR pros, however, is their resistance to change. While SEO firms are recruiting communications personnel, few PR firms or corporate PR departments are adding technical-oriented staff.
All is not lost for public relations personnel. PR – including both agencies and corporate public relations departments – can maintain and improve their standing with clients and their corporate superiors by learning about researching keywords, PR measurement, social media, link-building strategies, and other digital marketing strategies. Seasoned PR and media relations pros who gain command of SEO techniques can achieve greater influence in building natural backlinks, generating website traffic and producing sales leads. With many reference sources available on SEO techniques, the SEO “secret sauce” isn’t all that hard for PR professionals to learn.
Who Sends Better Pitches?
Others are not so sure about the SEO threat to PR.
Digital public relations consultant Carrie Morgan of Rock the Status Quo agrees that SEO firms have improved their pitches. However, they still leave much to be desired. They focus on getting as many backlinks as possible at the lowest cost each. They sacrifice quality and any interest in relationships. Their emails are filled with cut-and-paste wording and grammatical mistakes sent from overseas writers using English as a second language, common at off-shore SEO firms.
SEO agencies don’t bother learning about her blog or make an obviously superficial effort to do so, Morgan says. They might claim to enjoy the blog but have never commented on a post or subscribed to its newsletter. Topics for submissions are generic and often unrelated to the blog.
Although PR pros may sometimes send poor pitches to journalists, many of the bad pitches from purported PR pros may have actually been sent by SEO firms, she says.
That, in itself, is a problem for PR and its image among journalists. To overcome the pitching mistakes of SEO agencies to journalists and bloggers, real PR pros must issue well-targeted, compelling and grammatically-correct pitches – avoiding the common and irritating phraseologies used by SEO agencies.
PR can turn back the threat of SEO agencies simply by outperforming them in media relations and content marketing.
Bottom Line: SEO firms entering the public relations domain pose a threat to PR. SEO agencies emphasize placements, not relationships. Pitches by off-shore SEO agencies often are riddled with mistakes and betray a lack of understanding of the media. PR professionals at agencies and in corporate departments can turn aside the threat of SEO agencies by learning SEO link-building techniques and taking over the SEO function. PR can produce better results than SEO agencies by developing better content, making more effective media pitches, developing long-term relationships with journalists and bloggers, and, ultimately, producing better media placements.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
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